Chapter 296 Chinese New Year

Jiang Zhizhi smiled as she watched the group get along; it was quite heartwarming.

After lunch, people from the compound came to see Fang Hua, bringing eggs, pastries, milk powder, live chicken meat, and other things, which were spread out on the living room floor.

It was almost evening when Chen Limin finally arrived with Song Man, carrying two old hens.

Upon entering, she immediately launched into a tirade against Fang Hua: "You always seem so healthy, how did you end up in the hospital?"

She originally wanted to go to the hospital for a checkup, but felt it was unlucky to go to the hospital during the Lunar New Year, so she waited until Fang Hua was discharged and then came over as soon as possible.

Fang Hua knew her temperament well: "This isn't what I wanted either, so you should try to be more open-minded and not try to control everything. Otherwise, you'll only hurt yourself the most."

Chen Limin, unusually, did not refute Fang Hua. She asked about his illness, then other things, and also inquired about Zhou Xiaochuan's affairs out of curiosity.

Before Fang Hua could speak, Zhou Chengyu started cursing. Chen Limin immediately became interested and listened with great interest, even joining in with a few curses, calling Zhou Xiaochuan a complete ingrate.

...

Jiang Zhizhi and Song Man could only talk in the kitchen.

While peeling an apple, Jiang Zhizhi asked Song Man, "How many days off do you get for the Chinese New Year?"

Song Man sighed: "We don't get holidays, and we're even busier than usual because frontline reporters get holidays, so we have to write the articles ourselves. Plus, we have to cover the Spring Festival special issue, grassroots visits, and leaders welcoming the new year."

"I just started my rest today, and I can rest for two days in a row."

Jiang Zhizhi didn't expect the newspaper to be so busy: "I thought it would stop publishing during the Chinese New Year."

Song Man glanced outside and whispered, "It's impossible. Many people want to be in the newspaper, how could it stop?"

Jiang Zhizhi originally wanted to ask Li Simin if he had contacted her, but now that she heard that Song Man hadn't rested, she figured Li Simin definitely hadn't contacted her either.

Before she could ask, Song Man spoke first: "Li Simin picks me up from get off work every night. He doesn't say anything, he just follows me from a distance. Why is this kid so stubborn? At noon, he even brings me lunch."

"It made me feel quite embarrassed."

Everyone at the newspaper knew that a boy from a large compound was pursuing Song Man.

He looked a little younger than Song Man, but they were a perfect match, and they all encouraged Song Man to agree.

This put Song Man in a difficult position, and even made her feel somewhat embarrassed.

Jiang Zhizhi just laughed when she heard this; she could only listen and couldn't offer the two of them any advice.

In matters of the heart, it's rare for two people to be attracted to each other at the same time; it always requires one party to make persistent efforts.

After Chen Limin and Song Man left, Fang Hua frowned as he looked at the two live hens lying on the ground: "Is something wrong with Chen Limin? She's usually so stingy, how could she be willing to give away hens?"

Zhou Chengyu was very easygoing: "What could it be? Old Song and my older brother aren't in the same system, so neither of us can ask the other for help. She certainly wouldn't ask you for anything. Maybe she was just being generous because you're quite ill?"

Fang Hua shook his head: "It shouldn't be, but this person... never mind, we'll talk about it later. She'll tell us what she needs to say."

They chatted in the living room while Jiang Zhizhi and Zhou Xiye went back to their room to pack their things.

Zhou Xiye was preparing his things to go back to school tomorrow when Jiang Zhizhi hugged him from behind like a koala, whimpering, "It feels like time is flying by. We haven't even done anything yet, and we already have to part ways."

I originally thought that with such a long holiday, they would have plenty of time to spend together, go to the movies, and take photos.

You can also go ice skating at Houhai and see snow at the Temple of Heaven.

As a result, they hadn't done a single thing before they had to part ways.

Zhou Xiye chuckled: "It's alright, I'm still in Beijing. You can come visit me when you have time. I'll come back if I have a holiday."

Jiang Zhizhi rubbed her face against his back: "It's easier said than done. I was hoping we could go to that photo studio and take a picture together. We don't even have a picture together. I saw that my parents had a lot of pictures together when they were young."

Zhou Xiye thought about it and agreed, then reached out and patted her hand: "When I come back next time, we'll go take pictures."

I don't know if it's because we've been spending so much time together lately, but I've gotten used to his presence.

Jiang Zhizhi felt extremely reluctant to part with it, and at the same time, she felt all sorts of unease.

Logically, since she already knew when Zhou Xiye sacrificed his life, this unease shouldn't have arisen.

Seeing that the person behind him remained silent, Zhou Xiye pulled her arm, drew her in front of him, encircled her in his arms, and kissed her forehead: "Will the scores be released in a couple of days? Remember to let me know when you have time to come to the school."

Jiang Zhizhi nodded in response, still looking somewhat dejected, and couldn't help but mutter to herself, "Besides theory classes, do you guys have a lot of training too? Be careful, don't get hurt."

She knew these words were pointless; how could anyone avoid injury during training?

Zhou Xiye pinched the soft flesh on her face, feeling a pang of reluctance in his own heart, touched by her emotions: "We'll see each other soon, you can always find me if you need anything..."

After thinking it over, the children who were close to Jiang Zhizhi all went to join the army with Li Yuanchao.

Song Man is also very busy with work.

Jiang Zhizhi chuckled, "Oh dear, I'll only be sad for a little while. Don't worry, I'll be very busy after you leave. I need to study acupuncture and Western medicine diligently with my teacher, and then I'll let the facts speak for themselves and defeat Peng Guoqing's views."

Zhou Xiye smiled, lowered his head and touched her nose: "Hmm, you have big ambitions, you have to keep it up."

In the evening, more guests came, arriving just in time for dinner.

It was Chinese New Year again, so we stayed for dinner. Originally, one table would have been enough, but there were too many people, so we ended up having two tables.

Jiang Zhizhi, Shang Shiying, Zhou Chengyu, and several aunties from the courtyard sat at a small table next to Fang Hua's bed, eating and chatting at the same time.

Fang Hua can't eat anything spicy or stimulating right now, but there's nothing else she can avoid. To help her wound heal faster, the doctor even told her to eat more meat.

Shang Shiying added a chicken leg to Fang Hua's plate: "This is stewed without any seasoning, and it's still very delicious."

Zhou Chengyu looked at the two of them with some curiosity: "Sister-in-law, when did you and Shi Ying become so close? Didn't you two used to get along?"

Shang Shiying glanced at her: "Don't talk nonsense. We just didn't have much contact before, but we've been spending more time together recently, and I've found that Fang Hua and I are quite compatible."

One of the women suddenly spoke up: "Have you guys noticed that Zhizhi and Shiying look quite alike?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chengyu quickly went to examine the two closely. He hadn't noticed it until someone pointed it out, but once they did, they did look quite alike: "If you cover their eyes, their noses and mouths do look somewhat similar."

She laughed again as she spoke: "Good-looking people probably all look alike, right? I even think Shi Ying looks a lot like a movie actor... the one who played in The Red Lantern..."

She changed the subject, and the conversation was quickly glossed over.